Rogier Tower

Rogier Tower
The Rogier Tower (left) on Rogier Square
General information
Type Office
Location Place Charles Rogier/Karel Rogierplein, Brussels, Belgium
Coordinates 50°51′23″N 4°21′33″E / 50.85639°N 4.35917°E / 50.85639; 4.35917Coordinates: 50°51′23″N 4°21′33″E / 50.85639°N 4.35917°E / 50.85639; 4.35917
Construction started 2002
Completed 2006
Opening November 21, 2006[1]
Height
Roof 137 metres (449 ft)[2][3]
Technical details
Floor count 38[2][1]
Floor area 111,903 square metres (1,204,510 sq ft)[3]
Design and construction
Architect Philippe Samyn and Partners, M. & J.M. Jaspers - J. Eyers & Partners
References
[4]

The Rogier Tower (Dutch: Rogiertoren, French: tour Rogier) is a skyscraper located in the Northern Quarter central business district of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels, Belgium. It owes its name to the square Place Rogier/Rogierplein in front of the building. It was formerly known as the Dexia Tower after Dexia bank, but that bank fell victim to the 2007–2012 global financial crisis and the tower's name was changed on March 1, 2012.[5] As Dexia moved its offices in Brussels to the Bastion Tower, Belfius and its subsidiaries are the only occupants of this tower, often also called the Belfius Tower. It is the fourth tallest building in Belgium.

It is built on the site of the Rogier International Centre (French: Centre International Rogier, Dutch: Internationaal Rogiercentrum), also called the Martini Tower, which was formerly the tallest building in Belgium, but was demolished in 2001.[3] Constructed between 2002 and 2006, the Rogier Tower is 137 m tall. It was originally planned to be 179 m tall, but the proposal was rejected because the height was thought to be excessive.[3] The Rogier Tower is also one of the few towers in Brussels whose roof is not horizontal, instead being made up of three inclined sections. It is also one of the only towers in the world to have a fully glass roof.

Lighting

The Rogier Tower from the south during a light show

The building has 6000 windows, and 4200 of these are equipped with an average of 12 lightbulbs, each having a red, green and blue LED, allowing a broad palette of colours to be formed. These are lit up to form colourful displays, with each window acting as a pixel. To minimize power consumption, the LEDs only illuminate the outside of the closed blinds, and the reflection off the blinds illuminates the window.[1]

Initially, the displays were just abstract patterns or the temperature, but on special occasions and major holidays, customized displays were shown. Due to the late-2000s recession, the lighting has been greatly reduced, and the displays were now on for only 10 minutes an hour.[1] As from 2015, Belfius reactivated the lighting, especially for special occasions such as the Belgian Pride in Brussels, Special Olympics, Olympic Games, Rode Neuzen Dag, Viva for Life or Belgian National Day on 21 Juli. Belfius was involved in several of these occasions as sponsor or as co-organizer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Dexiatower". Dexia. 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Dexia Tower at Emporis
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Dexia Tower, Brussels". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  4. ↑ Rogier Tower at Emporis
  5. ↑ "Rogier (Dexia) Tower to be sold?". Pro-RealEstate.be. March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012.

Media related to Rogier Tower at Wikimedia Commons

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